Fun Facts: Indian Food
- 1A large population of Indians do not eat meat, therefore many Indian dishes are vegetarian.
- 2Spaghetti and meatballs is one of America's most popular Italian dishes. It was present in 19th century southern Italy, however it is practically extinct in Italy today.
- 3The largest burrito ever made weighed 12,786 lbs and was made in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico in 2010. It was filled with fish, onion, and beans and took around 3000 volunteers to help make it!
- 4The world's first restaurant opened in the year 1747, in Italy.
- 5A common restaurant argument between couples is about bad manners and messy eating habits.
- 6Most "Mexican" restaurants in the U.S are actually Tex-Mex. The name came from the fusion of flavor from Texan, Mexican and American cuisine. Burritos, fajitas and quesadillas are some examples of tex-mex.
- 7Alfredo sauce, used in Fettuccine Alfredo, was created by Roman restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio in 1914
- 8There are many different popular types of Indian foods including curries, biryani, chicken tikka masala, samosas & many, many more.
- 9In India, if you say a food is "spicy" you would be referring to the taste/amount of spices used in a dish, not how hot it is.
- 10The world record for largest calzone weighed 69.3 lbs and was made by Mike Wilson and fellow employees of the Loveshack restaurant in West Lafayette, Indiana in 2003. The calzone measured over 9 feet long!
- 11National Margarita Day is February 22nd. Ole!
- 12The first revolving restaurant was built in 1961 in Seattle, Washington.
- 13About $1,000 per person was spent in restaurant food in 2004.
- 14Guacamole was made by the Aztecs by at least the 16th century and means "avocado sauce".
- 15There are more than 600 different types of pasta.
- 16Traditionally, Indian food has only one main course, a rice or bread dish that is served with several savory side dishes.
- 17Milk and dairy products are frequently used in Indian cooking. Yogurt is often added to curry dishes to add a rich, creamy flavor.
- 18Before eating a meal, Italians will say to each other 'Buon appetito!' which means 'Good appetite!'.
- 19The world record for most tacos eaten in 10 minutes was 106 tacos and was set in 2012.
- 20There are more single restaurant employees than married ones.
- 21Most restaurants have less than 20 employees.
- 22The hard shell taco was invented in 1947 because the corn tortillas did not stay fresh for very long.
- 23The average person in Italy eats more than 51 pounds of pasta every year. The average person in North America eats about 15 pounds per year.
- 24It was not until the 1700’s until tomato sauce was included with spaghetti in Italian kitchens.
- 25National Taco Day is October 4th.
- 26Saturday is the busiest day in a restaurant.
- 27In 2012, there were over 30,000 Mexican restaurants nationwide.
- 28In 2012, over 4.5 billion tacos were sold. That equates to 490,000 miles worth of tacos...enough tacos to take you to the moon and back!